This disclosure is generally directed to toner processes, and more specifically, emulsion aggregation and coalescence processes, as well as toner compositions formed by such processes and development processes using such toners.
Emulsion aggregation/coalescing processes for the preparation of toners are illustrated in a number of Xerox patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,290,654, 5,278,020, 5,308,734, 5,370,963, 5,344,738, 5,403,693, 5,418,108, 5,364,729, and 5,346,797; and also of interest may be U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,348,832; 5,405,728; 5,366,841; 5,496,676; 5,527,658; 5,585,215; 5,650,255; 5,650,256 5,501,935; 5,723,253; 5,744,520; 5,763,133; 5,766,818; 5,747,215; 5,827,633; 5,853,944; 5,804,349; 5,840,462; 5,869,215; 5,863,698; 5,902,710; 5,910,387; 5,916,725; 5,919,595; 5,925,488 and 5,977,210. Other patents disclosing exemplary emulsion aggregation/coalescing processes include, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,730,450, 6,743,559, 6,756,176, 6,780,500, 6,830,860, and 7,029,817.
The disclosures of each of the foregoing patents and publications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. The appropriate components and process aspects of the each of the foregoing patents and publications may also be selected for the present compositions and processes in embodiments thereof.
Electrophotographic digital printing with conventional toners, including those of about 8 micron size, may result in very high pile heights for high surface coverage, for example, from about 12 microns to about 14 microns of height for surface area coverage of from about 300% to about 400%. When printed onto thin flexible packaging substrates, this large toner pile height may result in a wavy rewound roll. This wavy roll may be unusable for subsequent flexible packaging operations.
Thus, there remains a need for small size emulsion aggregation (EA) toners having a size of from about 3 microns to about 4 microns, which may be suitable for flexible packaging applications.